According to
Atlantic Records producer
Herb Abramson, Lance wrote the song with his friend Wallace (brother of boxer
Coley Wallace) after the pair heard a
blues singer on the streets of
Atlanta, Georgia, singing a mournful tune that featured the title of their song in its lyrics. What they heard may have been "One Dime Blues", which was recorded by
Blind Lemon Jefferson in the 1920s and by
Blind Willie McTell as "Last Dime Blues" in the late 1940s. The song's lyrics included the line "Mama, don't treat your daughter mean". According to Ruth Brown, the lyrics originated from a
black church spiritual. Brown initially disliked the song but was persuaded by Lance and Wallace to record it in December 1952, after Abramson increased the
tempo. ==Other versions==